Friday, October 13, 2006

 

If The Cows Are Out, The Fence Needs Mending

Branding cattle at my uncle’s three-hundred acre, Montana farm remains one of my most vivid childhood memories. Each year family and friends would rendezvous with lunches, horses and an eagerness to be cowboys and wrestle calves to the ground. On one memorable occasion several of us younger city slickers were given the chore of keeping some of the cattle from wandering away from the branding area. The cattle were nervous and so were we. Eventually a few of the cattle began heading in the wrong direction. When our initial efforts to stop them did not seem to be working we began shouting and flailing our arms. This spooked the cattle so that one of them put her head down and charged an eight inch fence post, sheering it off at it’s base. A stampede ensued. In just a few minutes a dozen or more cattle had escaped.

I was amazed at how easily the cow snapped the fence post, but the broken fence, in itself, was not our big problem now. Because of this one hole in the fence, the potential for many problems was created:
The cattle could be lost or stolen.
The scattering animals could easily break a leg or get bogged down in a muddy field or irrigation ditch.
Cows could be hit while crossing the road, thereby injuring or killing the cows and/or the motorists.
The cattle could get into vegetation that would cause them to become sick.
Loose cows might destroy gardens or crops.
One breech – many problems. Furthermore, anyone who might have seen those dozen cattle along the roadside would immediately conclude that someone’s fence needed mending.

Our nation is experiencing a plethora of troubling societal problems:
Since 1999, 225 of our children have been shot dead in our school houses. (National School Safety and Security Services)
Very few of our families are healthy and intact.
The list of company executives, elected official, religious leaders, teachers and other professionals that are making immoral choices appears to be exploding.
Nothing is sacred or off-limits in the entertainment industry. The airways are filled with combative talk shows, debasing reality shows, horror and every other kind of dehumanizing scheme.
One might think the problems are too many and unsolvable, however, the majority of these issues are simply the result of a few holes in our fences.

A host of societal problems could be solved if we would only mend our fences. Consider how much pain, suffering, disease, bickering, hate and death could be avoided if everyone in the world would simply choose to live by the commandment, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14) If everyone in the world chose to adopt the moral standard of one man being faithful to one woman until death parted them, the following problems would disappear:
All rape and harassment
Sexually communicable diseases
Sexual abuse of children
Many divorces
Most abductions and serial murders
Unwanted pregnancies
Pedophilia
Abandoned children and absentee parents
Murders and attacks related to infidelity
One hole in the fence - many problems. If you really want to blow brain circuits consider what would happen if the world employed all ten commandments!

Isn’t it time that we returned to morals and values that served us all well? Haven’t you noticed all the fallout from removing the ten commandments from public view? How is it that good people feel strange or embarrassed if they vote to mend fences? Even if no one else is doing it, shouldn’t we repair the fences in our own lives? We need fences and we need to diligently maintain them; it is the smart, logical, safe, responsible thing to do.

It is only human to want to adopt the “Don’t Fence Me In,” philosophy, but maybe the cows can teach us a little something:
In the dead of night, two cows stepped through a hole in the fence line. As they ambled up onto the interstate and pondered the approaching lights of an eighteen-wheeler, one said to the other, “I feel so liberated.” The other cow replied, “Yeah, I’ve heard warnings about this, but everybody else is doing it.” Dumb cows!

Friday, October 06, 2006

 

A Room Full of Miracles

Several months ago I sat in the reception area of a chiropractor’s office in Worcester, MA, listening intently to a spectacular story. A half-dozen of us had gathered for a time of prayer and sharing. Several were wiping tears from their eyes as they heard the tale of sovereign love and intervention that transformed a life marred by alcoholism, divorce and despair into an abundant life distinguished by love, joy and peace. This particular speaker experienced such drastic improvement in his situation that he now helps others by teaching a weekly God-centered recovery course in Thompson CT. (The course is called “Life In Focus” and it helps people find ways to live healed lives.) We concluded the meeting with a time of prayer and thanksgiving. Our little group was savoring a good, true story - the kind you would like to see happen much more frequently.

Stories of trouble are prevalent. It doesn’t take much living to be convinced that life is tough. No one escapes the challenges and tragedies dealt by daily living. Some seem to have more than their share of struggle. The load is overwhelming at times. Many of us have found ourselves in predicaments we never imagined we would have to face. Bad luck, bad decisions, bad advice, bad timing… or all of the above can collapse one’s world and ravage their life. Just one choice, one impulsive action, or one accident can suddenly make life seem unlivable. Such feelings of helplessness and hopelessness often inspire bouts of discouragement, pessimism and depression. It is a common tale for a twist of fate, a bad relationship or an unfortunate event to steal a person’s joy and leave them convinced that life is not worth living.

Woody Allen said, “Life is divided between the horrible and the miserable.” Such thinking is the path of least resistance. If we do not make the effort to look beyond our troubles and the headlines of wars, political battles, and school shootings, we can easily slip into a cynical mindset. It might seem safer to think the world a terrible place and be proved wrong than to believe the world a wonderful place and be disappointed. I found a therapeutic solution to my cynicism; I make a weekly trek to a room full of miracles.

Every Sunday morning I have the privilege of joining together in worship with a group of people who have outlived the challenges of life with the help of their Creator. A glance around the room reveals people who worship and sing from someplace deep in their hearts. My mind can recall where these people have come from, what they have been through and what they are currently encountering on their journey. Seated in the pews are blended families, single parents, former drug addicts, former alcoholics, stroke victims, people who have beat cancer, and those who have survived abuse, the occult, mental breakdowns and jail. These people have not only survived, they have found new beginnings, new meaning, and more joy than they had before their struggles. In fact, it was often trouble and tragedy that prompted them to call out to God for intervention. They are a room full of miracles.

As I reflect back on the hundreds of physical healings, supernatural financial provision, emotional restoration and family reconciliations that have taken place in their lives, my perspective of life suddenly improves. It becomes clear to me again that life’s challenges are often opportunities for a “God encounter” that will introduce a person to true life. In a room full of miracles, it is easier to comprehend that life is tough, but God is bigger than life.

Miracles and changed lives were earmarks of the first century church. “Philip, for example, went to the city of Samaria and told the people there about the Messiah. Crowds listened intently to what he had to say because of the miracles he did. Many evil spirits were cast out, screaming as they left their victims. And many who had been paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city.” (Acts 8:5-8 NLT)

How freeing it is to interact with people whose lives have been changed; people who believe Jeremiah 29:11: “ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ ” (NIV) Why don’t you find a room full of miracles this Sunday? A little worship might change the way you see the entire world. You may find it therapeutic.

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